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10 songs that feel like Spirits in the Material World

Matched to Spirits in the Material World by The Police on how the music actually moves — intensity, dynamic swing, texture, tempo — not by genre tag. Here's what makes each one a match.

Spirits in the Material World
The song you love
Spirits in the Material World
The Police
safe 18/100 intensity 108 BPM
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Open Mind — Wilco safe 110 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (110 BPM).

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Common Sense — John Prine safe 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Same smooth texture.

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After the Gold Rush — Neil Young safe 104 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (18/100). Measured 99% alike. Nearly the same tempo, too (104 BPM).

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Human Highway — Neil Young safe 115 BPM

Measures 99% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Same smooth texture.

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Either Way — Wilco safe 115 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (115 BPM).

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Thirty-Three — Smashing Pumpkins safe 120 BPM

98% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Same smooth texture.

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Beginning to See the Light — The Velvet Underground safe 120 BPM

Keeps the same contemplative pull — lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Measured 98% alike.

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The Prayer — Kid Cudi safe 120 BPM

Measures 98% the same. It lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Same smooth texture.

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24 — Kanye West safe 109 BPM

A 99% feel-match — carries the same contemplative pull and lands at almost exactly the same energy (18/100). Nearly the same tempo, too (109 BPM).

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New Test Leper — R.E.M. safe 110 BPM

99% match across our 8 measured dimensions; it lands at almost exactly the same energy (19/100). Same smooth texture.

Frequently asked

What songs sound like “Spirits in the Material World” by The Police?

The closest feel-matches we measure are “Open Mind” by Wilco, “Common Sense” by John Prine, “After the Gold Rush” by Neil Young — the top match scores 99% alike. Matching is by how the songs actually move (intensity, dynamic range, texture, tempo, predictability, vocal force), not by genre tag or popularity.

How intense is “Spirits in the Material World”?

It measures 18/100 on our intensity scale, computed from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Tempo is 108 BPM.

How do you decide which songs are similar?

Every song in our catalog is measured on 8 dimensions — intensity, dynamic range, tempo, sudden changes, texture, predictability, vocal force and fine sound detail. Similarity is the distance between two songs across those measurements, so matches cross genres and eras. Shared mood tags break ties.

By the numbers: how this song compares

Computed from this song’s place among the 19,209 songs we’ve measured.

Where it sits in 19,000 songs

This sits near the calm end of everything we've measured — gentler than 92% of the 19,209 songs in the library. Its intensity reading of 18/100 comes from a dynamic range of 4/10, smooth texture, no sudden shifts, and soft vocals. Relatively few songs occupy this exact corner of the spectrum.

What makes it unusual

What stands out most about this song is an unusually steady, even volume: more extreme on that axis than 97% of everything we've measured. At the far opposite end of the library sit the songs built on full chaos — sudden changes, huge quiet-to-loud swings, and relentless energy — the kind of track this one is the counterpoint to.

Feels almost identical to

Closest matches by feel across all 19,209 measured songs — not by genre or artist, by how they actually move.

What it’s good for

Sleep9/10
Focus10/10
Workout1/10
Dinner7/10
Party / hype1/10

Scored from this song’s tempo, intensity, dynamics and texture — not crowd votes.

1981 in context

The 194 songs we’ve measured from 1981 average a dynamic range of 6.4/10. At 4/10, this track is gentler and steadier than its year.

Mixes smoothly with

Within a few BPM and close in feel — they flow without a jarring transition.

The fingerprint

Intensity18
Dynamics33
Tempo38
Surprise0
Density0
Predictability0
Vocal force25
Trigger load0

The 8-dimension measurement behind every rating on this page.

Want the single closest match, with every dimension compared?

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